THE LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES USED BY LEARNERS STUDYING ARABIC AND ENGLISH AS FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Abstract

This study investigates the language learning strategies employed by students from two different foreign language majors, Arabic and English, at a university in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. These two languages are the most learnt languages in this country; therefore, it would be interesting to understand the students’ inclinations in their learning strategies. The respondents were 35 students from each major, making a total of 70 students. The modified Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire was used to obtain data. The results revealed that the English learners employed more strategies than the Arabic learners. Out of six strategies, the Arabic learners used metacognitive strategy (M=3.57) most, whilst the English learners used metacognitive (M=3.76), compensation (M=3.68) and social (M=3.52) strategies most. The overall mean showed that they used these strategies at the medium level. In view of that, Indonesia encourages English more compared to Arabic in its education system, where English is also learned by students in other majors. Therefore, English major students have more chances to practice English with others compared to the Arabic major students. This preliminary study does reveal some insights on the different strategy use of learners learning different foreign languages. These strategies can be promoted in daily teaching so students can use them efficiently to deal with language learning difficulties.